Live in Driftwood

More details unveiled for picturesque new development near Salt Lick

One look at the Hill Country’s newest development and you’ll think you’ve found the promised land. Created by Salt Lick BBQ owner and pitmaster Scott Roberts, Driftwood is a unique real estate endeavor that will feature a housing community, mixed retail space, and boutique hotel.

Situated near Salt Lick in Driftwood, about a 30-minute drive from Austin, the project is being built on the Roberts family's land, which they’ve owned since the late 1880s. Unveiled Monday, the initial plans highlight the development’s 540 acres, 31 single-family homes, and 215 acres of shared open space that also includes 80 acres of wine vineyards.

“I could not be more excited to finally reveal the long-awaited plans behind our new development Driftwood,” says Roberts in a release. “My family has called this land home for over 100 years, and I now feel compelled to share this small slice of Texas heaven with others. I cannot wait to share this incredible place with an entirely new group of people I hope to soon call my neighbors.”

Homes start at $350,000 and will vary in lot sizes of 0.5 to 1.5 acres. The housing is eco-friendly and sustainable, helping to preserve the land. The shared open space for residents will line 2 miles of Onion Creek with 9 miles of hike-and-bike trails.

In addition to the residential community, Roberts plans a boutique lodge and spa at Driftwood. The complex will also feature a winery, private event space, multiple restaurants, and a commercial town center.

It’s an exciting time for Roberts, who is also celebrating the Salt Lick’s 50th anniversary in 2017.

Driftwood is a new residential and commercial development from Salt Lick owner Scott Roberts.

Driftwood development housing Scott Roberts Salt Lick

Photo courtesy of Driftwood

Driftwood is a new residential and commercial development from Salt Lick owner Scott Roberts.

hotels home-for-sale

Rental Rumblings

Cramped? Austin renters feel the squeeze in more ways than one.

Algarita Apartments/Facebook

Austin renters have less space than they did in 2009.

Feeling cramped? There's a reason. In a recent study, real estate website Trulia found that renters — especially those with children — have less space than they did several years ago.

Trulia looked at U.S. Census Bureau's 2014 American Community Survey data to determine the number of needed bedrooms based on children and married couples in the family. Married couples together only need one bedroom, while non-married adults as well as children were assumed to each need one bedroom. Households with fewer bedrooms than non-married adults or children are considered to suffer the “space crunch.”

In the nation’s biggest metro areas, 14.7 percent of households had fewer bedrooms than family members, an increase of half-a-percentage point since 2009. The study showed that renters with kids are especially cramped, and the larger and pricier the metro, the more likely renters are tight on space. Trulia found that just 8.1 percent of nationwide homeowners are tight on space, versus 26.4 percent of households who rent.

Contrary to the national trend, a few major Texas metros, including Houston and Dallas, posted a bigger drop among space-crunched renters compared to homeowners. Austin, Fort Worth, and San Antonio, on the other hand, are consistent with the national trend, where more renting households are sharing bedrooms than they did in 2009.

In the Austin-Round Rock metro area, 13.2 percent of residents face the space crunch. The bunk-bed wave hit just 7.3 percent of Austin homeowners in 2014, down .6 percentage points over a five-year period. In comparison, 22.8 percent of renting households have fewer bedrooms than they need, up 2.4 percentage points since 2009 — the highest increase in Texas by far.

While space is seemingly getting worse for renters in Austin, as well as Fort Worth and San Antonio, the share of cramped renters in Houston and Dallas has dropped more significantly between 2009 and 2014 than the share of cramped homeowners. Still, 28.8 percent of Houston-area renters are bunking up. In Dallas, the figure is over 27 percent.

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